Review of the Invicta 9937

Review of the Invicta 9937 By: John B. Holbrook, II December 21, 2002
I should probably in all fairness preface this review by saying it may not be altogether unbiased. This statement which should be fairly obvious, given my status as Invicta Forum Moderator. I do make every effort to maintain as much objectivity as possible in every watch review I do. However, it is even more challenging to remain unbiased in this instance because I feel personally vested in the 9937. It’s the only watch I own, and am likely to ever own, that I can genuinely say that I had a hand in its creation. For those of you that may not be aware, it was actually my idea for the Invicta Forum participants to discuss features and improvements we’d all like to see made to the 8926, and forward them to Invicta. The forum discussed at length what we’d like to see, and thanks to the efforts and contributions by MANY, (especially Hamilton Carvalho and Tom Palmer) Invicta President Eyal Lalo agreed to produce the Invicta Forum’s dream – an upgraded 8926. By Summer’s end in 2002, the watch received it’s model number – the 9937. Now the watch is in my hands! My 9937 was received from Invicta Forum Sponsor Tom Palmer. The watch has a retail price of $1075.00. Tom’s price on the 9937 is $319.00. As always, it was a pleasure doing business with Tom. Was it worth the wait? Did Invicta give us what we asked for? Is it worth the price?

If you didn’t know you were ordering something special, you sure will once you see the box in which the 9937 ships. The large wood box is to my eye a rosewood sort of color and very attractive. It is also extremely heavy (not fake wood here folks)- the package has a 5 lb. shipping weight! Open the lid and you will see the box actually has a 2nd lid – a see through acrylic display cover. This makes the box legitimately functional – the box itself is attractive enough to be used as a display box on your dresser, and the display cover means you can always admire the 9937 while it remains dust free. Invicta has always done a nice job in the boxes they provide with their watches, and this one is the best yet.

Some will tell you that when they purchase a watch, they don’t want a fancy box – the watch company should spend the money on the watch inside the box, they reason. To me, it is difficult to rationalize the price paid for any “expensive” watch. So in my opinion, if I spend a premium price, then the box it arrives to me in should speak to what the box contains. The 9937 box does just that.

Cosmetically speaking, there isn’t too much different about the 9937 case and dial. It’s a Rolex Submariner inspired dive watch indistinguishable from the 8926 Pro Diver with the exception of the word “Swiss” printed below the logo on the dial of the 9937.

A closer inspection of the dial will reveal a strong (and much improved over the 8926) magnification bubble over the date window. While it isn’t visually obvious, the 9937 also employs a sapphire crystal, with an anti-reflective coating. The solid stainless steel case used in several Invicta dive watches (including the 8926) is also used for the 9937 – and that’s good news. The unidirectional bezel is aligned perfectly, and rotates smoothly with one hand (BIG improvement over the stiff bezel on the 8926).

Flipping the watch over and peering through the mineral crystal display back will reveal a significant improvement, both cosmetically and functionally – a gold plated, 25 jewel, Swiss made ETA 2824 movement that replaces the Miyota 8215 used in the 8926.

Those of us used to the rather horologically austere Miyota movement visible in the 8926 will be really pleased – the ETA 2824 while unmodified, is a pleasure to view and worthy of a display back. The second hand sweep motion provided by the ETA 2824 is also noticeably smoother than Miytoa 8215.

I’ll have to wait until the watch is well “broken in” before I can do any accuracy tests, but indications are that I’m likely to see some improvement in this regard. One thing is for certain – a “hacking” second hand is welcome improvement when synchronizing this watch to the atomic clock.

As mentioned above, the 9937 has the word “Swiss” printed on the dial. This designation isn’t simply there because the movement inside the watch is of Swiss origin. The 9937 itself is assembled and shipped out from Invicta’s facilities in Switzerland. The Swiss watch industry has very strict standards which must be adhered to before a watch can have the words “Swiss Made” or “Swiss” (either designation has the same meaning) appear on the dial. Make no mistake – when you buy a 9937, you’re buying a Swiss watch.

The bracelet (an area that the forum didn’t ask for improvement upon, but Invicta did anyway) really ups the quality ante significantly too. At 4.85 mm thick, the stainless steel bracelet has a heavier and sturdier feel than the standard issue Invicta SS bracelet. The solid end links (connecting the bracelet to the case) are a nice touch as well – another characteristic which distinguishes the 9937 as a truly high end watch. The bracelet also uses a really nice deployment with a flip lock clasp. Very classy and unique on a watch of this price range. If your concerned about the improved bracelet being too heavy and uncomfortable, don't. The extra weight is hardly noticable. Like most Invicta bracelets, the center link is polished, while the outer links are brushed.

You really have to appreciate what Invicta is trying to do with this watch – take the basic Submariner theme, and improve upon it with features and enhancements unique to Invicta. The 9937 overall is true to the theme, and has genuinely unique features and qualities. It would be a great disservice to dismiss this watch as a “sub clone.”

DID INVICTA GIVE US EVERYTHING WE ASKED FOR?

Quite nearly, yes. There are only two areas that I can see where Invicta deviated from the specifications originally offered up by the forum. As I mention above, the top crystal is made of sapphire, while the display back is made from mineral glass. We originally asked for Sapphire front and back. The logic is, why use a more expensive, more scratch resistant crystal on the back of the watch that is normally protected by the wrist? I see the logic, but I really would have liked to have seen Sapphire used front and back at the price of the watch. If I wanted a logical, utilitarian watch, I’d buy an 8926 (which I already own.). This watch is in many ways a luxury item – it doesn’t have to “make sense.” This is however a minor criticism – the logic used is darn hard to refute in practical terms. The second area of deviation from the forum request is the luminous coating used on the hands and markers of the 9937. The forum had requested Super Luminova, but Invicta opted to go with their standard issue Tritnite compound. There’s no getting around the fact that this choice will disappoint many, including myself. The lack of glow power on the 8926 is a chief complaint and near the top of the list of things the forum wanted improved in an “upgraded 8926.” Having said that, I’m pleasantly surprised by both the luminosity and the longevity of the Tritnite compound used on the 9937. It appears to me to be much better than the glow on my 8926. Whether the Tritnite compound has been optimized, or another factor is at work, I cannot say. But the improvement over the 8926 is noticeable. The 9937 doesn’t quite have the torch like glow of my Seiko “Orange Monster” but the improvement is noticeable. Here is a picture comparing the glow power of the 9937 (left) to the Seik! o SKX781K "Orange Monster."

There is an obvious difference in favor of the Seiko, but to be fair, this particular Seiko dive watch is largely considered to be one of the most luminous watches made at any price. The color of this (new?) Tritnite compound is a much more pleasing white color as well – much improved over the green tinge noted on my three year old 8926. It should be noted that Invicta is apparently incorporating this particular upgrade into the 8926 too. Pictures of recently purchased 8926's show the same whiter hue on the hands and markers, as well as a loss of the infamous “green glob” marker on the bezel at the 12 o’clock position.

IS THE 9937 WORTH THE PRICE?

Initial indications are that Invicta delivered on the promise to exceed the already high standards set by the 8926. Are these improvements worth the 3x price tag as compared with the 8926? This a difficult question to answer. Many are extremely pleased with the 8926 – considerations like a Swiss movement or solid end links really have no value to many Invicta buyers, and the premium charged for the 9937 just won’t fly. Only someone who values qualities of a truly top shelf Swiss timepiece will appreciate and subsequently pay for the 9937. Probably an even more important question to ask is, how does the 9937 compare with the ever growing Submariner look-alike market? Some extremely worthy competitors have emerged in this market and at a variety of price points since the 8926’s debut. Names like Sandoz, Chronomat, and Marcello join more well established competitors like Seiko and Citizen with worthy choices for the watch buyer who likes the “Sub” look, but not the 4K price tag charged by Rolex. I don’t own, nor have I “played with” many of the 9937’s worthy competitors, so I can’t make any sort of definitive determination here. Clearly each competitor in this category offers differences in both features and price. What the 9937 excels at is providing a comparable level of watch satisfaction and ownership experience which you get when you spend considerably more money on watches from names like Omega, Tudor, and Tag Heuer. From the special display box, to the gold plated Swiss movement staring back from un! der the display crystal, the watch exudes a difficult to define, yet undeniable sense of owning something truly special and unique. A time piece that will provide years of faithful service and can be passed on to the next generation. Whatever your opinion on the 9937 and its value as compared to the 8926, one thing should be agreeable to all: Invicta is to be congratulated for their willingness to listen to, and respond to customer requests. The type of cooperation between Invicta and The Invicta Forum which lead to the development of the 9937 is fairly unique across all industries, but especially so in the watch industry. We can only hope this cooperation will continue to bring new models from Invicta – like an automatic GMT, and an automatic Speedway, among others.

*All information and images contained in this review are the original work of the author, John B. Holbrook, II and are copyright protected. Use of any of the information or images without the permission of the author is prohibited.

BACK TO MAIN WATCH COLLECTING PAGE